I am Ray.bit, a man who combines Bitcoin passion and technical insight, X (Twitter): https://x.com/bitlaser_btc
On March 31, 2025, BRC2.0 was officially launched on Bitcoin Signet. This upgrade introduced EVM into BRC20, making all BRC20 Tokens programmable. This will usher in a new round of innovation in Bitcoin native assets, and a new journey for the Bitcoin ecosystem has begun.
In 2023, the Bitcoin ecosystem ushered in an unexpected change - the birth of BRC20.
This experimental token standard based on the Ordinal protocol not only allowed the first appearance of homogeneous tokens similar to Ethereum ERC20 on the Bitcoin chain, but also set off a wave of MEME craze.
The origin of BRC20 can be traced back to March 2023, when a developer named Domo@domodata had an idea: since the Ordinal protocol can engrave NFTs on Bitcoin's SATS, why can't it be used to issue tokens? So, he designed the BRC20 standard using JSON format inscriptions, and the first token $ORDI was born. All tokens were minted by first-level players, and the project party did not have any reservations. The starting point for participants was the same, which was truly fair and just. These innovations quickly ignited market enthusiasm, especially the surge in MEME tokens, making BRC20 the focus of the Bitcoin ecosystem and even the entire crypto market that year.
In the past, BRC20 was both a successful experiment and a source of controversy. It allowed Bitcoin to move from a simple value storage tool to a broader programmable field. Miners made a lot of money from inscription casting.
However, the craze has been accompanied by network congestion and high gas fees, and many Bitcoin "purists" have criticized it for deviating from Satoshi Nakamoto's original intention, believing that it is nothing more than a speculative bubble.
Nevertheless, the emergence of BRC20 has undoubtedly opened a new window for the Bitcoin ecosystem, proving that its potential goes far beyond “digital gold”.
BRC20 has already taken shape, with tens of thousands of tokens jointly composing this brilliant ecological epic, and the total market value reaching billions of US dollars. Even the $Ordi single currency has exceeded 2 billion.
However, it was stuck in a technological quagmire and could not continue to create more brilliant achievements, or even maintain the status quo, and gradually declined.
The market will not wait forever, and believers will not stay forever. The extremely tempting world outside the Bitcoin ecosystem has dealt a heavy blow to BRC20.
There are numerous Pumpfun, Presidential Coin, National Coin, and VC Coin, which attract people to play with them endlessly. Some coins even complete the life of BRC20 in just a few minutes.
However, competing with capital is like hitting a rock with an egg. It will end in defeat for retail investors and a mess in the end.
Countless believers shouted in unison again, hoping that BRC20, the standard representing fairness, would return. For a moment, it seemed that the former king had really returned. However, it was just a huge momentum, nothing more, and this seemed to be the last struggle of BRC20. The application scenario of BRC20 still remained at the shallow level of "token issuance + transaction", and it also laid the groundwork for the subsequent BRC2.0.
Such BRC20 is in adolescence: full of vitality but also with growing pains. It needs a thorough upgrade to truly integrate into the future of Bitcoin.
So here it comes: BRC2.0-the savior of inscriptions, and even the savior of the Bitcoin ecosystem
BRC2.0 is not a simple patch on BRC20, but a redefinition of the future.
It significantly improves the capabilities of BRC20 Token by introducing "smart contracts", enabling it to move from simple issuance and transfer to supporting more complex applications, and BRC20's transition from ledger to platform.
Specifically, BRC2.0 plans to open up unlimited possibilities for Bitcoin native assets, including decentralized finance (DeFi), tokenization of real-world assets (RWA), decentralized autonomous organizations (DAO), and stablecoins. Unlike traditional sidechain designs that rely on multi-signature bridges or second-layer solutions (L2), BRC2.0 seeks to directly leverage Bitcoin's existing infrastructure to achieve these goals, thereby improving efficiency and reducing reliance on external trust, while maintaining the security and decentralization characteristics of the Bitcoin core protocol.
Another point is that user transactions only generate GAS on the mainnet BTC chain, and there is no need to pay any additional fees - the same is true for developers interacting with programmable modules.
There are two things in the design that are very user-friendly;
1. End users do not need to pay gas fees, and the indexer bears the computational costs. Users only need the standard Bitcoin mining fee required for the mainnet chain, which is basically used to "notarize" the order.
2. All BRC20 tokens will become programmable. No “migration” is required and holders do not need to do anything. BRC2.0 is backward compatible. This is an upgrade to BRC20.
Compared with the "inscription ledger" of BRC20, BRC2.0 is more like an "on-chain micro-platform". It allows Bitcoin to leap from static storage to a dynamic ecosystem, where developers can build previously unimaginable applications.
Currently, BRC2.0 is jointly promoted by the Best in Slot @bestinslotxyz team led by Binari @0xBinari and Layer 1 Foundation @L1Fxyz of domo @domodata.
OKX @okx and UniSat @unisat_wallet, which have deep ties with #BRC20, will provide index support. Many leaders in different fields of Web3 ecosystem will jointly pave the way, and BRC2.0 will become the light of hope for the Bitcoin ecosystem.
Of course, in addition to opportunities, challenges are also great. Technically, on-chain state management and script expansion must be implemented without sacrificing security, which is a huge test for developers. In addition, Ethereum's DeFi ecosystem has matured, and BRC2.0 must find a differentiated positioning.
But if successful, BRC2.0 will inject new vitality into Bitcoin. It will not shake BTC's value storage status, but add "practical wings" to it, making this 16-year-old veteran rejuvenated.
BRC20 is a bold test of Bitcoin, while BRC2.0 is a brave vision of the future. From ledger to platform, from experiment to ecology, this road is full of unknowns, but also exciting. No matter what form BRC2.0 finally lands in, it reminds us: Bitcoin's innovation has never stopped, and it is always on the road.
Make Bitcoin Magic Again! ! !
